1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to horizontal hinged door assemblies and, in particular, to such door assemblies as sidewalk access doors which comprise a door, a frame surrounding the door, preferably a peripheral channel frame to restrict water and dirt from falling through to the area below covered by the door, and a hinge connecting the door to the frame for rotation about an axis. The frame is positioned at the periphery of the opening to be enclosed and secured to a concrete slab or to another structure such as a floor or ceiling and concrete is typically poured around the frame to the top of the frame to anchor the frame and provide for the door and surrounding area, e.g., sidewalk, to be at the same level.
2. Description of Related Art
Horizontal hinged (covers) doors are commonly used for access doors, roof scuttles, automatic fire vents, ceiling access doors, basement doors and for pit, floor and sidewalk doors for access to subterranean locations. While the present description will be directed to pit, floor and sidewalk doors, it will be appreciated that the invention can be used for any such horizontal doors where the frame of the door is secured at the opening to the ground or a concrete slab, mounted to a structure such as a floor or ceiling, cemented in place in a sidewalk, etc.
Pit, floor and sidewalk doors are used in a variety of applications for providing access through openings in a concrete slab, wood floor or ceiling, and the like into a pump pit, utility vault, pipe trench, basement, building, etc. Most of the designs for these type doors utilize a channel frame surrounding the door which frame may be connected to a drain. The typical door assembly has a gap between the frame and the door due to manufacturing tolerances and operational clearances through which gap water and dust enters and the drain and channel directs rain water away and prevents dirt from falling through to the covered area below.
The channel frame is usually made of metal such as extruded aluminum and is generally a U-shape. The thickness of the frame is usually up to about 1/2 inch, typically 1/4 inch. The dimensions of the U-shaped channel may vary widely up to, for example, 5 inch high by 5 inch wide or larger. A typical U-frame is made of 1/4 inch thick extruded aluminum with the frame being about 3.5 inch high by 3 inch wide. The channel frame is made as a continuous extrusion and is cut to the proper length and the four sides of the assembly connected together to form the frame. The frame is positioned at the periphery of the hole opening to which the frame is secured. The top of the outer wall of the channel frame typically has an inward flange extending around the periphery of the channel for strength and to facilitate hinge connection to the door. The height of the inner wall of the frame is generally slightly lower than the outer wall to accommodate the thickness of the door when the door is closed. The door is generally up to about 3/8 inch thick, typically 1/4 inch. When the door is in the closed position, the door rests on the inner wall and the door is flush with the inward flange of the channel frame.
The door covers an opening and the frame of the door assembly must be secured to the ground, concrete slab, floor, or other structure forming the opening. Accordingly, the door frame is placed at the periphery of opening and secured, for example, by cement poured around the outer wall of the door frame or otherwise secured to the structure by fasteners such as bolts, screws and the like. For sidewalk type doors, the level of the cement, floor, or other structure is essentially the same height as the door in the closed position. To secure the door assembly, most door assemblies are constructed with a flange extending outwardly from the outer wall of the channel frame to provide an anchor with the cement or other fastener used to secure the frame. Such flanges are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,205,073 and 5,301,469 wherein a horizontal door is shown secured in cement. Both patents are assigned to the assignee of the present invention and both are incorporated herein by reference.
Horizontal doors are generally installed on-site and there are a number of structure openings with which the contractor must contend with when installing the door assembly. For example, the door might be positioned on a concrete slab or on dirt or on a roof of a building. The anchor flanges normally integral with the door frame may be in a position on the frame which is inconvenient for the particular installation such as when the structure or ground to which it is secured is uneven. On-site installation is accordingly very difficult and skilled workers or other on-site preparation are usually required to properly install a horizontal door, which adds significantly to the cost of the installation at any site location such as when the site is uneven.
Bearing in mind the problems and deficiencies of the prior art, it is one object of the present invention to provide an anchor device for use to anchor horizontal hinged doors which devices are adjustable and which may be readily used by unskilled workers for any type door installation at any site location such as when the site is uneven.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an anchor device for use to anchor horizontal hinged doors which anchor device is economical to manufacture, easy to use both in fabricating the door assembly in the factory with the anchor device in place and on-site when installing the door assembly and which device may be used with any type horizontal door assemblies.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a horizontal hinged door assembly having a bendable anchor device as part of the assembly which door assembly is economical to manufacture and relatively easy to install on-site by unskilled workmen.
It is another object of the invention to provide a horizontal hinged door assembly and/or a frame member used to make horizontal door assemblies which are adapted to utilize an anchor device of the invention for easy installation of the door assembly at the site of the installation.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method for installing a horizontal hinged door assembly using anchoring devices attached to the frame of the floor assembly and/or connected to the frame of the floor assembly during on-site installation.
Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description.